Speech at a Meeting of the Senior Officials of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea December 15, 1987

PROPAGANDA OFFICIALS MUST ESTABLISH A POLITICAL STANDARD AND WORK EFFECTIVELY Speech at a Meeting of the Senior Officials of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea December 15, 1987 The Propaganda Department is an important department that is in charge of the ideological work of our Party. The department must perform its duty and role satisfactorily in order to train Party members and other working people as true communist revolutionaries of the Juche type and encourage them to highly display their revolutionary zeal and creativity in the revolutionary struggle and construction work. That is why I have taken every opportunity to emphasize the need to improve the work of the Propaganda Department steadily to meet the requirements of the developing situation. The department, however, has not yet corrected its most serious shortcomings, and its work is not up to par and fails to live up to the Party s intentions. The officials of the Propaganda Department are engaged in ideological work, so they must be politically more acute and sharper and possess a stronger fighting ability than any one else. Some lack a fighting spirit; they try to see all the problems in a favourable light. They also do not organize work in every detail and push it forward in a revolutionary way. They must be politically acute and conduct the ideological work of the Party in an original and efficient way. Officials of the Propaganda Department must have a standard in their work. By a standard, I mean one s political standard or one s unshakable belief and principled attitude that are based on the Party line and policy. Establishing one s political standard in one s work means believing firmly in the Party line and policy, planning and organizing all work in accordance with them and pushing it through to the end without vacillation, as long as it accords with the Party line and policy, no matter who says what. Establishing one s political standard is an important requirement for the ideological work of our Party. Our Party s ideological work is aimed at modelling the entire Party and the whole society on the Juche idea, the unique ideology for guiding the revolution and construction. We must intensify Party ideological work and thus implement the Juche idea thoroughly in all spheres of the revolution and construction and train Party members and other working people as Juche-type communist revolutionaries. If propaganda workers fail to stick to a political standard in their work, Party ideological work may deviate from its basic line and heterogeneous ideas that run

counter to the Juche idea may infiltrate the Party and cause grave consequences in the revolution and construction. The present situation is very complex. The manoeuvres of the US imperialists and south Korean authorities to unleash another war are making the situation in our country more acute. Revisionism and reformism are flooding several countries, doing great harm to the revolution and construction. In order to struggle through to the end for the ultimate victory of our revolution under the banner of the Juche idea without the slightest vacillation in these circumstances, propaganda workers must stick to a political standard and vigorously conduct the Party s ideological work. If they fail to keep to the revolutionary principle in their work and allow the infiltration of revisionism, reformism and other kinds of ideological poison and the decadent way of life, the consequences will be disastrous. The work attitude of the officials of the Propaganda Department these days shows that they are not sticking to the political standard in their work. The Propaganda Department did not organize work properly in connection with a foreign exhibition that was recently held in Pyongyang. It should have undertaken political work on its own responsibility, although the practical work of organizing the exhibition might have been left to the care of the sector concerned. However, it did not do so. The Propaganda Department officials lack of a political standard in their work can also be found in their work attitude of just relaying Party policy to their subordinates, instead of sticking tirelessly to whatever they are doing until it is carried out. When the Party has set forth a new policy, they merely transmit it to their subordinate units and do not supervise its implementation. In consequence, the work of its implementation is not developed steadily or in depth. In my discourse On Some Problems of Education in the Juche Idea, I have emphasized the task of education in loyalty and all the other forms of ideological education in combination with the basic principles of the Juche idea. The officials of the Propaganda Department ought to have taken detailed measures and organized necessary work to carry out their work to this end. However, they have done nothing more than compiling planned measures and study materials and circulating them to their subordinates, as if they were dealing with ordinary office work. They seem to think that any piece of work, if assigned, will be done of its own accord, because a well-regulated system of education for Party members and working people is established and all the education means are provided. The lack of a political standard among the officials of the Propaganda Department is also evident in their inefficient guidance of the production of feature films. The newly-produced film An Epic of the West Sea deals with the heroic struggle of the officers and men of the People s Army and the working people to construct the West Sea Barrage in five years. However, prompted by their outmoded view that an artistic work should contain the positive and the negative and that the story can

only develop through conflicts between these two elements, the creative workers artificially set up negative characters, contrary to the fact in our era, the era of the Workers Party, and described them as hindering the construction of the West Sea Barrage. The construction of the West Sea Barrage was a gigantic project that was rare in the world. It was wrong to have set up the positive and the negative and sought a solution to the problem in their conflicts in an attempt at an artistic representation of the struggle for the construction of the barrage. It is a mistake for creative workers to think that they can sustain the positive character only in its relation to a negative character in an artistic work. They must not retain such outdated dramaturgy. The material used as a basis for this film could have been used to produce a film of the same level as Under the Bright Sun. But an epic film should not be made in this way. It is difficult for a film to depict all the struggles for a gargantuan project like the construction of West Sea Barrage. It would be better to see the documentary film that recorded the construction of the barrage than to see a film such as An Epic of the West Sea. The film Pride is also not produced in line with the Party s policy. It deals with the project to expand the capacity of the Sungri General Motor Works, but it fails to correctly show the source of revolutionary ideas and culture. The revolutionary ideas and culture of our age emanate from among the working class, the most advanced class, not from books. In other words, they come from among the collective of the working class. However, the film artificially depicted them as if emerging from an individual worker s family. The film does not correctly describe the worker s family, either. In the film an old worker shows off, emphasizing the word I ± whenever he speaks to his family. A worker s family should not be depicted as patriarchal. The most serious mistake of the film is that it has distorted our Party s slogan of self-reliance. This is the age of science and technology. To develop the national economy rapidly through an active introduction of advanced science and technology as required by our times is one of our Party s important policies. However, the film shows people building a modern factory with empty hands under the motto of self-reliance and ignoring advanced science and technology. I am not sure whether the creative workers described it in that way intentionally or unknowingly or simply by accident. The way creative workers represent the struggle for grand socialist construction and military activities in their productions nowadays shows that they lack the political standard and correct Juche-orientated view of aesthetics. The people in the field of art and literature must hold a symposium on the idea of Juche-orientated art and literature and critically review the production of such films as An Epic of the West Sea and Pride. The film industry is not adhering to the basic principle in producing feature films in cooperation with other countries, and some films are produced for the sake of pleasure. It is not our way to produce films for the sake of pleasure.

An important matter in sticking to one s political standard is to adhere strictly to Party and class principles. Keeping these principles is fundamental to one s political standard. A political standard is inconceivable apart from Party and class principles. We can say that sticking to one s political standard in one s work is in essence adhering to Party and class principles. Propaganda workers must have a firm standpoint and attitude that they know no other ideas than the ideology of their leader and their Party. Whether or not they adhere to Party and class principles in their work boils down to whether or not they defend the ideology of their leader and their Party. They must possess a firm standpoint and attitude that they think and act as the Juche idea of our Party requires under whatever circumstances. They must deal with any problems from the political point of view, not from the point of view of a business routine, and thoroughly implement Party policy in planning, organizing, and pushing forward their work. In addition, they must not concede to any practice that is contrary to Party and class principles and must uncompromisingly combat these practices. A propagandist who does not know how to combat deviations from the Party and class line is not qualified for his duty. In fostering a strong belief in Party policy it is important for senior officials to draw correct guidelines and then push forward the work of these guidelines until it is finished. Whether or not a department or a section carries out its work largely depends on the senior officials. The senior officials must not work by issuing directives from an objective standpoint. They must plan and assign tasks in detail and in keeping with the Party s policy. If any problem arises in their implementation, they must draw a distinct guideline with an unshakable conviction and push it forward determinedly, without vacillating or hesitating even when difficulties and obstacles stand in their way. Senior officials must make a strong demand on their subordinates and encourage them to work with a correct view on Party policy. In order for the propaganda workers to stick to a political standard they must believe in Party policy and have a wide range of knowledge and skilful organizational ability. Propagandists must, first of all, make Party policy their own conviction. Only when they are well-versed in Party policy and make it their own belief can they push forward their work with an unshakable view. Some of the propaganda workers have failed to work boldly, swaying to the left and right without their own opinion, because they have not made Party policy their own belief. Propagandists must fully equip themselves with the great leader s instructions and Party policy, which are put forward in each period. They must, in particular, study hard the Party s policies concerning the field in their charge and make them their bones and flesh. Propaganda workers must have a wealth of knowledge and skilful organizational ability and must be well-versed in the work of the field under their control. The work of the Propaganda Department, be it theoretical propaganda, propaganda through lectures, the press, art or

literature, requires that the officials direct it with a deep expert knowledge. That is why I have emphasized more than once that propaganda workers must be devoted scholars and enthusiasts and improve their political and theoretical level and practical qualifications. The officials of the Propaganda Department must not rest content with their university education or with some teaching experience. Reality develops ceaselessly and the ideological work of the Party continues to make progress in depth. In order to conduct Party ideological work dynamically in step with the developing reality, propagandists must have a wide range of knowledge and ability. Only when they are well-informed and able can they have their own view and express audacity. They must acquire a profound knowledge and skilful organizing ability through hard study and practical experience. They must make a deep study of the work of their department and section and the institutions they deal with and always be well-versed in their work. In order to establish a correct political standard in their work, they must bring collective wisdom into full play. If they pool the intelligence and efforts of many people rather than a few people, they can establish an unshakable political standard. One or two persons may make a mistake in analysing and estimating a problem or fail to find a proper solution. But the display of collective intelligence can make a correct analysis and estimate of the problem and find a correct solution. The joint assessment of newly-produced films by the deputy heads of the Propaganda Department can also be more effective than by the deputy head in charge of film production and a few other officials. In the future, all the deputy heads of the Propaganda Department should participate in the previewing of new films held by the department. If the deputy heads of the department are to make a correct judgement on newly produced works of art and literature, as to whether they are in accord with political requirements or not, they must know what comments I have made on works of art and literature. One year I read the words of a song / Will Return to the Leader with Joy and criticized it because it was written naturalistically, contrary to political requirements. The words of the song described the Three- Revolution Team members as if returning to the embrace of the leader after leaving it. The song meant, in effect, that they lived in the leader s embrace only when they were in Pyongyang, and not when they were away in provinces. Worse still, the team members are depicted as if returning triumphantly after a fight against someone, which gives us an impression that there exists antagonism in our society, that we must fight to resolve it and that there is a winner and a loser in that struggle. In short, the words of the song / Will Return to the Leader with Joy grossly distorted our Party s idea on the Three-Revolution Team Movement and the intrinsic character and superiority of our socialist system. I have gone over many other works and commented on them. If the deputy heads of the Propaganda Department know all these, it will help them to increase their political awareness and improve their ability to analyse and

evaluate the works of art and literature. In the future, the Propaganda Department must make it a rule for its senior officials to get together and collectively discuss the means of solving the problems facing the department. To proceed, propaganda workers must eliminate formalism and conduct ideological work in an original and efficient manner. Propagandists are the Party s political educators, who transform the people s ideas and train them as true communist revolutionaries. If economic officials practise formalism in their work, they may hinder production and construction. In a more serious vein, if propagandists work in a formalistic way, they may spoil the people and make a mess of the revolution and construction. For this very reason I say that formalism is the worst taboo in Party ideological work. Officials of the Propaganda Department have not yet completely overcome formalism in their work. Quite a few are doing Party ideological work carelessly, without making a deep study of reality. If the department is to improve propaganda through public lectures, for instance, the senior officials have to visit their subordinate units and learn about the actual conditions while giving public lectures. However, they are only hanging around in their offices. They neglect the study of how public lectures are actually given in the subordinate units, in the belief that all they have to do is to prepare the outlines of lectures and send them down as planned. More often than not, therefore, the work of giving lectures is not being done to suit the real situation. The propagandists must not think they have fulfilled their duty by sending down to the subordinates the stereotyped outlines of lectures that do not suit the actual situation. The outlines of lectures should be prepared on the basis of a full understanding of the actual situation at the subordinate units. When these have been sent down, the department officials must visit the field units and learn whether the outlines are prepared to suit the level of the Party members and other working people and whether the audiences correctly understand the message of the lectures. The officials of the Propaganda Department do not make good use of the materials sent by the Organizational Leadership Department, either. I have ensured that the Organizational Leadership Department systematically hand over the materials they have obtained to the Propaganda Department to help the officials of the Propaganda Department to conduct ideological work offensively and in keeping with the people s level of preparedness and psychology. The officials of the Propaganda Department ought to study in detail the materials from the Organizational Leadership Department and energetically conduct propaganda and agitation work. Nonetheless, they do no more than a cursory reading of the materials. The officials of the Propaganda Department are often working in a stylish manner like gentlemen ±. They think that their work is being done fairly well when they gather many people in the February 8 House of Culture or in the People s Palace of Culture and hold symposiums, short courses and public lectures. They are also directing the activities in the field of art in a stylish manner. Senior

officials of the Propaganda Department and the officials of the section in charge of art say they see the art performances in theatres, but I am told that they simply sit there and return without offering a word of their own opinions. Since they are in charge of art, they must, upon a visit to a theatre, learn about how works of art are being produced and make a strong demand on writers and artists to improve their level of depiction. However, they are not doing so. Even though they fail to play their role properly, the officials in the Propaganda Department seem to show off and put on airs of importance like gentlemen ± at the units they deal with, assuming the dignity of belonging to a department of the Central Committee of the Party. If they work in this way, the department cannot build up authority in its work. Working in a gentlemanly ± way, putting on airs, instead of working assiduously, is a major shortcoming of the officials of the Propaganda Department. Officials of the Propaganda Department taking upon themselves the work of other departments, instead of concentrating on their basic duties, can be seen as another expression of their slipshod work manner. In order for the propagandists to eliminate formalism and work efficiently, they must work creatively with an awareness that they are responsible for propaganda work. Without the sense of this responsibility, it would be impossible to overcome formalism. Since formalism is attributable to the officials lack of the attitude of masters towards their work, it can be eliminated only when they have the keen consciousness and firm attitude of masters. Propaganda workers must get rid of the mentality of an office worker and carry out their duty in a responsible manner with the attitude of masters. They must not see success in their work in the number of public functions they have held or lecture outlines and study materials they have prepared for their subordinate units, but in how far they have transformed the people s ideology and in the high degree of revolutionary enthusiasm with which the people take part in socialist construction. If they see people who are ideologically backward or muddling along without innovating their work, the propaganda workers must feel that they themselves are responsible for such a situation, examine their own work and learn a lesson. Propagandists must not be bound by a set pattern, but must work in a creative way. Needless to say, Party ideological work must be conducted thoroughly on the principle of one-man management. But the form and method of work must be creative so as to suit specific conditions and circumstances. Reality is very complicated and constantly changes and develops. Propagandists must therefore see all problems with an innovative eye and from the creative point of view and find fresh and original form and method of propaganda and agitation that suit the actual conditions and can touch the people s hearts. In order to do away with formalism and work effectively, propaganda workers must work as the anti-japanese guerrillas did

Political workers in the anti-japanese guerrilla army went among the masses with their kits on their backs and conducted propaganda work in a revolutionary and militant way suited to the fighting situation and conditions. In those days they had no broadcasting equipment and little printing facilities. However, they conducted propaganda work efficiently, free from established formality and patterns, which exerted a great influence upon enhancing the revolutionary zeal and combat morale of the guerrillas. Propagandists must go deep among the masses with their kits on their backs as the anti-japanese guerrilla work method requires. They must visit their subordinate units regularly, mix with the masses, understand their level, their psychology and real situation and conduct ideological work to suit them. Ideological work must be done in factories and cooperative farms where Party members and other working people live and work, not in an office. In order to work as the anti-japanese guerrillas did, the propaganda workers must acquire a specific methodology. Ideological work cannot be successful of its own accord, even though they visit the subordinate units with their kits on their backs. The level of people s consciousness and their preparedness differ, and they are therefore assigned to different revolutionary tasks. Propaganda workers can, therefore, be successful in their work only when they work with correct methodologies suited to the different conditions. Propagandists must make a deep study of the Party s lines and policies and on this basis find correct solutions to their problems. They must also acquaint themselves with the actual situation at the subordinate unit and other organs they deal with. They cannot find a correct methodology for solving difficult problems if they do not know the actual circumstances of the unit concerned, no matter how well they are aware of the Party s intentions. Putting together the opinions of many people in finding a methodology is good. Propaganda workers must make a habit of finding a correct methodology through collective discussion and discreetly dealing with the problems, instead of dealing with their problems impromptu and according to their subjective opinion and desire. Formalism is based on such outmoded ideas as fame-seeking, careerism and loafing on the job. So it does not disappear of its own accord. It can only be overcome successfully through a strong, untiring ideological struggle over a long period. Propaganda workers must be given a full understanding of the essence and harm of formalism so that they can conduct an energetic ideological struggle against it. In addition, they must be encouraged to criticize the smallest manifestations of formalism and correct it before it is too late when reviewing Party life and on other occasions. Next, you must establish a correct work system in the department. You must, before all else, establish a correct system to control the subordinate units.

Keeping subordinate units under tight control is an important requirement of establishing the inner-party work system and a prerequisite for giving efficient guidance to the work of subordinate Party organizations. As matters now stand, however, the Propaganda Department lacks a proper system of controlling its subordinate units. The Propaganda Department has several guidance sections, but these sections are not immediately informed of the shortcomings revealed at their subordinate Party organizations because they fail to control them properly. The department s failure to keep full control over ideological work at lower echelons is largely due to its senior officials, who do not pay attention to the work of the guidance sections including those in charge of directing Party organizations in the provinces. I have long emphasized that work with guidance sections is the basic duty of the Propaganda Department. The department, however, hangs on to secondary work, without making efforts to ensure that the guidance sections function properly. The Propaganda Department does not exercise proper control of the work of the institutions it deals with. A certain section is to work with the Central Committee of the General Federation of the Unions of Literature and Art and its affiliated unions. However, it does not supervise them regularly, but substitutes its work by having the Union Rules amended at the Union Congresses. In particular, it pays little attention to such important work as ideological education for the Union members. As a result, the CC of the GFULA hangs on to administrative and practical work, slighting ideological education for its membership. If the Propaganda Department is to control the subordinate units properly, its guidance sections, especially the section that guides the provincial Party organizations, must enhance their role. The department must pay primary attention to work with this section, acquaint itself regularly with this section s work, help this section correct its mistake before it is too late and ensure that the officials of this section control the subordinate echelons with a high sense of responsibility. The senior officials of the department must make a strong demand on the officials of this section to approach all problems with a keen political eye and promptly grasp even a small deviation revealed in the subordinate Party organization and correct it. In this way you will control all the ideological work done by the provincial Party organizations through the section that directs the provincial Party organizations. The sections that deal with the institutions should also enhance their role. The section concerned must undertake unified direction of the Central Committee of the General Federation of Unions of Literature and Art and its subordinate unions. Historical experience shows that writers and artists are the first to suffer the infiltration of revisionism. You must therefore conduct ideological education among them with special care. You must ensure that the CC of GFULA and its subordinate unions stop working carelessly, without deep study, and

play their proper role as the organizations in charge of ideological education among writers and artists. Departments and sections must work in proper coordination and cooperation. They are closely interrelated even though they perform different duties. In order to carry out the revolution and construction with success, all departments and sections must work in efficient coordination and cooperation. The Propaganda Department must pay deep attention to coordination with the Organizational Leadership Department. The Organizational Leadership Department gives leadership to both the Party life of its membership and the Party organizations. So it would be impossible for the Propaganda Department to conduct Party ideological work properly without coordination with the former. Their coordination is very important, particularly in guiding the Party life of its membership. Party life involves Party organizational activity and Party ideological activity. An essential requirement for the guidance of Party life is that the Organizational Leadership Department, whose function it is to lead Party organizational activity, coordinates with the Propaganda Department, whose function it is to guide Party ideological activity. As the great leader instructed, the relationship between the Organizational Leadership Department and the Propaganda Department can be likened to that between a physician and a pharmacist. Just as a physician must make an accurate diagnosis and a pharmacist prepare medicine accordingly to cure an illness, so the Organizational Leadership Department must correctly appraise Party members life and the Propaganda Department must conduct proper education work according to this appraisal in order to properly lead Party members life. The Propaganda Department must make it a rule to coordinate its activities with the Organizational Leadership Department when an important problem arises. The Propaganda Department must also cooperate properly with other departments. To this end, the officials of the Propaganda Department must have a clear understanding of their department. The Propaganda Department is not a special one, but one of the departments of the Party committee. Some of the officials of the Propaganda Department put on airs, regarding their department as a special one. If they act in that manner, they cannot cooperate efficiently with other departments. Officials of the Propaganda Department must not put on airs or try to fence themselves in. They should instead respect those from other departments, being frank and modest with them. Sections in the department must properly cooperate with each other. Cooperation can be effected among guidance sections and also between guidance sections and those dealing with internal work. The Propaganda Department must establish the order of reviewing clearly how the assigned task is being implemented. Only when the result of work is clearly reviewed after the task is assigned can the department gain experience, learn lessons, and enhance the officials sense of responsibility and role. Next, the senior officials of the department must enhance their sense

of responsibility and role. Success in its work depends largely on their sense of responsibility and role. Only when they enhance their sense of responsibility and role can they establish a political standard in their work and work efficiently in accordance with the Party s intentions. Some of the senior officials are now working in an irresponsible way, indulging in empty talk, instead of putting their shoulders to the wheel. The senior officials must acquire the habit of looking for tasks with a great ambition for work and must work faithfully whatever they do. In order to enhance their sense of responsibility and role, the senior officials of the department must have a correct outlook on the Party organization and sincerely participate in their Party life. Only then can they rectify the defects revealed in their work and life before it is too late. They must have a correct outlook on their organization and sincerely participate in their Party life in order also to establish sound Party traits. Recently I emphasized the need for cadres and Party members to acquire Party traits. It would be impossible to acquire them unless they lead a Party life with a correct outlook on their Party organization. Party traits are thoroughly established when cadres and Party members have a correct outlook on their Party organization and sincerely participate in their Party life. In this sense, we can say that Party traits mean an outlook on the Party organization and vice versa. Bearing in mind that their formalistic and expedient participation in Party life is reflected as it is in their work, officials must lead their Party life sincerely. The level of Party life review must be raised. Officials must coolly examine their work with Party policy as a yardstick and frankly criticize their shortcomings at meetings for Party life review. Party life must be reviewed substantially and frankly. They must confess even the slightest error committed in their work and life without hesitation, instead of hiding it or regarding it as tolerable, and criticize it frankly and correct it. Party life must be reviewed in an atmosphere of severe criticism. When reviewing Party life, officials must criticize each other sharply and severely. It must not be vague. If you do not criticize your comrade for his mistake in good time and instead act in a dubious way, considering this and that, you might spoil your comrade. In order to strengthen the Party life of the officials of the department, its primary Party committee must enhance its role. The primary Party committee must intensify its control and guidance over the officials Party life so that all the officials sincerely participate in their Party life. You must review the department s annual work carefully. You must review this year s work of the department by criticizing all the shortcomings revealed by the officials of the department, such as working inefficiently without establishing a political standard, the lack of its work system, and working without a sense of

responsibility. You must also discuss the measures to bring about a radical change in your work. The Propaganda Department must give a strong impetus to its work with a detailed plan from the beginning of next year. It has a great deal of work to do next year. Next year is a significant year that marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Republic. Next year the Organizational Leadership Department must channel its efforts into enhancing the militant function and role of the Party organizations, while the Propaganda Department directs its efforts to ensuring successful celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Republic. The Propaganda Department must unfold dynamic political work from the beginning of next year to make the anniversary celebrations a great festival of victors. The department must launch a strong propaganda and agitation offensive in order to consolidate the unity and cohesion of the Party and the masses and effect a fresh upswing in economic construction, looking forward to the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Republic. For the present, it must on behalf of the Party Central Committee prepare appealing slogans marking the occasion of the anniversary and draw up a concrete plan for a 200-day campaign to be conducted until September 9. If necessary, the Party Central Committee can send a letter to all the Party members. All the propaganda workers must work efficiently by establishing a political standard and bring about a revolutionary change in Party ideological work Korean Friendship Association (K.F.A) http://www.korea-dpr.com